How To Get TRICARE Mental Health Care: 2026 Guide | TRICARE.com

## Quick answer Getting mental health care through TRICARE depends on your plan and status. Generally, active duty service members (ADSMs) always need a referral, while active duty family members and retirees on Prime or Select can often see an in-network therapist or office-based counselor without a referral.

*Note: TRICARE.com is an independent reference site and is not the official TRICARE program. For official policy and real-time updates, visit [TRICARE.mil](https://www.tricare.mil).*

Details

TRICARE provides comprehensive mental health coverage including outpatient therapy, intensive outpatient programs (IOP), and inpatient psychiatric care. The rules for accessing this care are strictly dictated by your beneficiary category and plan type.

### 1. Active Duty Service Members (ADSMs) If you are on active duty, you **must** obtain a referral and prior authorization for all mental health care, whether it is sought at a Military Medical Treatment Facility (MTF) or a civilian provider. It is usually best to start with your Primary Care Manager (PCM) or your installation’s mental health clinic (Behavioral Health).

### 2. Active Duty Family Members (ADFMs) and Retirees For non-active duty beneficiaries, TRICARE has significantly lowered the barriers to entry for outpatient care:

* **No Referral Needed:** In most cases, you do not need a referral for "office-based" outpatient mental health visits (like talk therapy) with a TRICARE-authorized network provider. * **Prime Users:** While you don't need a referral for office visits, you must see a **network provider** to avoid Point-of-Service (POS) charges. POS charges are significantly higher and include a $300 deductible (2026 rates). * **Select Users:** You can see any TRICARE-authorized provider (network or non-network), though using a network provider will lower your out-of-pocket costs.

### 2026 Outpatient Mental Health Copays (Group A) * **Active Duty Family Members (Select):** $31 per visit * **Retirees (Prime):** $31 per visit * **Retirees (Select):** $38 per visit * **Active Duty:** $0

### When You ALWAYS Need a Referral/Authorization Regardless of your plan, some high-intensity services require prior authorization from your regional contractor (Humana Military in the East; TriWest in the West): * Psychoanalysis. * Residential Treatment Centers (RTC) for children/adolescents. * Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP). * Partial Hospitalization Programs (PHP). * Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS).

### Finding a Provider To ensure your care is covered, use the provider search tools on the regional contractor websites: * **East Region:** Humana Military. * **West Region:** TriWest Healthcare Alliance.

## Who this affects * **Active Duty Service Members:** Highest level of restriction; requires referrals for all care. * **Active Duty Family Members (ADFM):** Broad access to outpatient therapy without referrals. * **Retirees and their Families:** Access to network providers without referrals for office visits. * **National Guard and Reserve:** Beneficiaries on TRICARE Reserve Select (TRS) follow the same rules as Select users.

## Sources * **TRICARE.mil Mental Health Overview:** [https://www.tricare.mil/mentalhealth](https://www.tricare.mil/mentalhealth) * **Humana Military (East):** [https://www.humanamilitary.com/](https://www.humanamilitary.com/) * **TriWest Healthcare Alliance (West):** [https://www.triwest.com/](https://www.triwest.com/) * **Defense Health Agency (DHA):** [https://health.mil/](https://health.mil/)